Schepen in de haven te Katwijk aan Zee 1885 - 1927

Gerhard Morgenstjerne Munthe made this watercolor of ships in the harbor at Katwijk aan Zee, and it feels like he was figuring things out as he went along. It's like he was thinking out loud with his brush. The paint is so thin, almost ghostly, giving the whole scene a dreamlike quality. Look at how the water reflects the sky, blurring the line between them. You can almost feel the dampness in the air, the smell of the sea. There is a wonderful layering of washes, that suggest the quiet lapping of water against the boats. The way he’s captured the scene feels like a nod to artists like Whistler. But where Whistler was all about atmosphere and mood, Munthe feels more grounded. Both demonstrate how art is always in conversation with what came before, and it’s a reminder that art-making is never really finished. There's always more to explore, more to discover, and more to question.